ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA – Members of Winthrop University’s Board of Trustees bid farewell to Kathy Hudson Bigham ’73, the board’s longest-serving member in modern times, at their Sept. 17 meeting.
Gary Simrill ’91, who serves on the president’s Cabinet, read the resolution thanking Bigham for her 23 years of service to their alma mater.
"Mrs. Bigham’s greatest contributions to the Board were in her leadership roles, whereby she has graciously served at the discretion of her fellow trustees as either the Board Chair or Vice Chair for various terms over the years, as well as represented her peers as a member of the Executive Committee,” said Simrill, who remembered that Bigham gave him encouragement when he first decided to run for the S.C. House of Representatives in the 1990s when he was 24 years old.
First appointed to the board in 2003 by then-Governor Mark Sanford as his designee, she later moved to the Fifth Congressional seat where she was elected numerous times by the S.C. General Assembly.
While performing her extensive board service, Bigham cheerfully served on various committees of note over the years which touched every part of the university; including Finance, Student Life & Athletics, Advancement & Development, Enrollment & Retention, Compensation, Strategic Planning & Facilities, and External Engagement & Athletics.
She had a strong affection for many trustees, but none more so than her good friend and confidante, the late Glenn McCall, who passed away suddenly last year. “The pair led the Board with extraordinary commitment to Winthrop for many years, effectuating needed change and exhibiting strong positive belief in the university despite the inevitable challenges and obstacles that come with service on a public institution’s board,” Simrill said.
He added Bigham often employed Winthrop students at Thursdays Too restaurant she and her late husband, Larry, ran for decades in Rock Hill.
The resolution concluded that Bigham exhibited throughout her distinguished career a caring heart for all Winthrop students and worked on their behalf with empathy, compassion and respect.
For more information, please contact Judy Longshaw, news and media services manager, at 803/323-2404 or e-mail longshawj@winthrop.edu.
